Lecture capture – is more always better? [1780] Home : Annual Conference 2017

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Tue, Sep 5 2017, 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Authors: Alison Reid, Karen Noble, and Denis Duret
Room: Gilmour Rm (G)
Theme: Empowerment in Learning Technology
Type: 20-minute session

Description

Recorded lectures have become an expected and almost standard resource across higher education – they are the “new norm”. The researchers in this study have embraced this technology increasingly over the last 4 years, but have questioned its impact on student wellbeing and learning skills.

There are published papers evaluating the impact of recorded lecture provision on student engagement, attendance and achievement, (Ford et al, 2012) and contributions to this body of knowledge continue to appear in the literature from various fields of further and higher education. Some authors have interrogated the utility of recorded lectures for various groups of students (Leadbeater et al, 2013) and others have looked at student and staff perceptions of this resource (Chang, 2007; Owston et al, 2011).

Despite their ever increasing provision in the higher education sector, and popularity among the student body, educators realise that recorded lectures are by no means an educational panacea. Studies are emerging which highlight some potential negative aspects of this resource and emphasise the need for enhanced study support to enable students to develop the learning skills needed to utilise advanced resources appropriately (Johnston et al, 2013).

The 5-year veterinary science course is an intense clinical degree which, similarly to most human medical and other clinical courses, relies heavily on lectures in the early years of the curriculum. During years 1-3 of this course at our institute, students receive around 25 hours of timetabled learning activities per week, of which around 50% are lectures. Formal and informal student feedback has for some time suggested that increased resources are perceived by some students as a source of stress and pressure, and we have long suspected that the students who perceive their workload to be overwhelming are those who struggle to achieve – a suspicion supported by the literature (Laakkonen & Nevgi, 2014).

In a curriculum which already delivers a heavy workload to students, we were concerned that the additional provision of recorded lectures may negatively impact upon the students’ perceived workload and, thereby, their feelings of stress and academic achievement. Put simply, we wanted to know – is more always better? What is the impact of recorded lecture provision on student wellbeing in a busy professional degree?

We undertook a three-stage research project, utilising semi-structured one-to-one interviews, focus groups and cohort-wide questionnaires to interrogate the experiences of first- and second-year veterinary science students. Qualitative data was analysed using framework analysis and quantitative data using bivariate correlations and frequency analyses.

This short presentation will show our findings and provide an opportunity for discussion regarding how we can support students to use resources in the most effective way in order to manage workload and stress, and achieve their potential.

References

Chang, S., 2007. Academic perceptions of the use of Lectopia: A University of Melbourne example. ICT Providing choices for learners and learning Proceedings ascilite Singapore 2007 135–144.
Ford, M.B., Burns, C.E., Mitch, N., Gomez, M.M., 2012. The effectiveness of classroom capture technology. Active Learning in Higher Education 13, 191–201.
Johnston, A.N.B., Massa, H., Burne, T.H.J., 2013. Digital lecture recording: A cautionary tale. Nurse Education in Practice 13, 40–47.
Laakkonen, J., Nevgi, A., 2014. Relationships between Learning Strategies, Stress, and Study Success Among First-Year Veterinary Students During an Educational Transition Phase. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 41, 284–293.
Leadbeater, W., Shuttleworth, T., Couperthwaite, J., Nightingale, K.P., 2013. Evaluating the use and impact of lecture recording in undergraduates: Evidence for distinct approaches by different groups of students. Computers and Education 61, 185–192.
Owston, R., Lupshenyuk, D., Wideman, H., 2011. Lecture capture in large undergraduate classes: Student perceptions and academic performance. Internet and Higher Education 14, 262–268.

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